Hi everyone
Wow!!
Has this topic been a tough learning experience for me
It is very difficult seeing the "whole" picture when looking only from a single plane pf reference.
Oh sure, I caught the spiritual significance of all that Ray said, but simply dismissed the physical aspects.
Joe, I NOW see what you were saying: How typically Hollywood, is the believing that Jesus was perfect but could "feel" and "knew" my pain?
Yet, Hollywood is just a carnal whitewashed persona, it is nothing more than a perception of reality. Knock me down, is this not how I treated the "man" Jesus Christ?
The answer can only be a sad.....yes
Josh, the Scriptures below helped......
Hebrews 2:18 (Young's Literal Translation)
"for in that he suffered, himself being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted."Hebrews 4:14-19 (Young's Literal Translation)
Having, then, a great chief priest passed through the heavens -- Jesus the Son of God -- may we hold fast the profession, for we have not a chief priest unable to sympathize with our infirmities, but [one] tempted in all things in like manner -- apart from sin; we may come near, then, with freedom, to the throne of the grace, that we may receive kindness, and find grace -- for seasonable help. Hebrews 5:7-9 (Young's Literal Translation)
"who in the days of his flesh both prayers and supplications unto Him who was able to save him from death -- with strong crying and tears -- having offered up, and having been heard in respect to that which he feared, through being a Son, did learn by the things which he suffered -- the obedience,and having been made perfect, he did become to all those obeying him a cause of salvation age-during,"Barbara,
You posted the following and this helped too.
Spiritually speaking, Jesus considers sinners "sick" and in need of cleaning up from the inside out. It would be nice to have a perfectly healthy piece of flesh but it whithers away after a short time and is not important at all. After upbraiding them on many occasions "Woe unto you hypocrites," etc., I'm thinking the unbelievers figured Jesus needed a spiritual healing, repentance, and salvation. That's certainly the way those that believe the scriptures are treated by the rest of the system. That's where I got stuck
"It would be nice...." but who cares, right?
Big mistake!
Joe,
Now I see the significance of your words
I tend to disagree that it is an unimportant and insignificant issue in regard to the (physical) sufferings of our Lord and the obstacles in His own path. If He were a perfect (our carnal version) specimen and only truly suffered in Gethsemane and on Calvary then it could be said that He really did not have a true human experience. I believe that what He went through will prove to be the most difficult journey ever experienced by any man, compounded by the knowledge of His former glorious state of existence.All this helped but the clincher came to me when Christ said the following:
Mat 9:12
But when Jesus heard [that], he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. Mar 2:17
When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luk 5:31
And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. Certainly Christ is refering to Spiritual Healing, yet I now believe that He was using this as a clear metaphor regarding his own physical condtion.
He used his illnesses / ailments so that he could speak on the same level as those of his day. It was because, he was at this level that he could speak past the "physical" so that His spiritual message would not get lost. How much easier it is, even today, to love and understand someone "we" can relate too, knowing that they are indeed, feeling what we feel.
Oh, and I just want to add that "by not" being in perfect physical health, it must have been so much easier showing the importance of his message, because He gave credence to it rather than his physical health.
Kind of got caught on a saying I use often: "I couldn't see the forest for the trees"
Thanks be to God for allowing me to see (in His time) not mine and to all my brothers and sisters who had patience with me.
Much Love in Christ to All,
Darren